MEDIA ROOTS – It may be a sign of a public awakening when news of government surveillance hits the front page of Gawker’s future and technology blog, io9. The scope of federal survellience was widened on August 10 when Wikileaks released documents that exposed the TrapWire system to the public. The security technology helps group private surveillance recordings into one larger network that may be monitored by the government.

It was top secret software that was designed by former CIA agents. Now TrapWire is trending on Twitter as more enlightening information has been surfacing. International news outlet, RT – America even ties the TrapWire information to the White House and its various three letter agencies, as well as intelligence gathering organizations across the globe.

While conspiracy theories are claimed and refuted, the discussion around TrapWire remains particularly relevant. Thomas Drake, the noted NSA surveillance whistleblower of yesteryear, tweeted the following last week: “#Trapwire not bogus. No liberty w/o privacy.Secret surveillance of people is tyranny. Universal wiretap & profile 4 all?”

What comes next?

According to the io9 article, the Electronic Frontier Foundation might have built a legal standing to prove that TrapWire is not only illegal, but in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution. From the EFF:

“In January 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously confirmed that Americans have constitutional protections against GPS surveillance by law enforcement, holding that GPS tracking is a “search” under the Fourth Amendment.”

To date, there are no pending legal challenges to TrapWire. That is almost certain to change, as more information is uncovered and the general public begins to acknowledge that privacy isn’t merely for those who have something to hide.

Sean Reid is a guest contributor to Media Roots.

Photo provided by Flicker user SE17.

MEDIA ROOTS – The AP recently reported that Israel is still considered the premier counterintelligence threat to the CIA’s Near East Division. Other media have reported similar findings over the years. The Associated Press has reported the fundamental paradox underlying the U.S.-Israel relationship: Israel spies ferociously against the United States, while the U.S. Congress and Executive Branchwork overtime to support Israel “unconditionally.”

Best friends

During a March 2011 trip to Israel, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates commented how he couldn’t recall an era in his decades of public service when any two countries shared a closer military relationship than the United States and Israel. He remarked that the U.S. and Israel are cooperating closely in many areas including missile defense technology. One must wonder what Robert Gates, a veteran of the Cold War, thought about the September 2010 arms deal signed between Israel and Russia, Mossad’s decision to withhold vital intelligence from the USA regarding an imminent truck bomb, which killed over 240 U.S. Marines on 23 October 1983 (Ostrovsky: 320-322), Israel’s sale of U.S. military technology to China, or the June 2012 revelation that Israel and Russia are cooperating together to develop an advanced unmanned aerial vehicle. Gates eventually summoned a modicum of courage behind closed doors and referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an “ungrateful ally.” 

In his capacity as U.S. Secretary of Defense, Gates was undoubtedly aware that Israel spies ferociously on the United States, obtains U.S. weaponry through licit and illicit means, and bootlegs U.S. military technology with a precision that puts Beijing to shame. Despite this threat, the CIA doesn’t spy on Israel; Even though Israel is theoretically an intelligence target, most of the U.S. Intelligence Community refrains from spying on Israel due to “the complexities of U.S./Israel politics” (Jones: 50). Espionage against Israel is mostly limited to counter-intelligence work, which is conducted stateside by the FBI.

Leon Panetta, who succeeded Robert Gates as U.S. Defense Secretary, traveled to Israel in October 2011. Panetta’s trip mirrored Gates’ in many ways. Following the United States’ great tradition of sycophancy towards Israel, Panetta expressed his pleasure that “the United States and Israel have a closer defense relationship today than ever in history,” in traditional areas as well as in missile defense technology, counterterrorism and joint military exercises. Sound familiar? According to Panetta, this relationship “is yielding tangible benefits” and “helping to save lives.” Like Gates, Panetta reaffirmed “the unshakeable commitment of the United States to the security of Israel,” citing specifically the battery of Iron Dome rockets given to Israel, courtesy of the U.S. taxpayers. At the beginning of August, Secretary Panetta returned to Tel Aviv and pledged fiscal and military fidelity to the Israeli government.

The trips undertaken by Gates and Panetta “reaffirm” Israel’s “security,” while making no mention of the Palestinians’ “security.” Both trips witness U.S. and Israeli defense officials discussing Iran’s nuclear program, while making no mention of Israel’s substantial nuclear arsenal. Both trips cite “security challenges” such as “violent extremism,” “terrorism,” and “adversarial states.” Although giving arms to Israel benefits the U.S. military-industrial complex tremendously, supporting Israel unconditionally muddles the United States’ ability to act as an impartial mediator. In other words, annually feeding the Israeli government billions of dollars exposes the United States as the world’s worst arbiter. Perhaps unintentionally, the trips undertaken by U.S. defense officials showcase how the U.S. taxpayer subsidizes the Israeli Defense (sic.) Force.  

Deeply comprimised

Israel consistently ranks among the top perpetrators of espionage against the United States, rivaling China and Russia in certain metrics, particularly economic espionage. Israeli intelligence permeates the U.S. Intelligence Community to an alarming extent through elaborate front companies, wiretapping firms, and individual Mossad assets. Simply put, Israel’s operations within the United States are extensive:

“In 2004, the authoritative Jane’s Intelligence Group noted that Israel’s intelligence organizations ‘have been spying on the U.S. and running clandestine operations since Israel was established.’ The former deputy director of counterintelligence at FBI, Harry B. Brandon, last year told Congressional Quarterly magazine that ‘the Israelis are interested in commercial as much as military secrets. They have a muscular technology sector themselves.’ According to CQ, ‘one effective espionage tool is forming joint partnerships with U.S. companies to supply software and other technology products to U.S. government agencies.’”

Stewart Nozette, a noted scientist with a high-level security clearance, was one of the most recent arrests in the FBI’s uphill struggle against Israeli espionage. In true diplomatic cowardice, “the indictment does not allege that the government of Israel or anyone acting on its behalf committed any offense under U.S. laws in this case.” Stewart is expected to serve only 13 years for treason. Numerous individuals have been investigated on allegations of spying for Israel, with many investigations closed prematurely. Individuals include Jonathan Pollard, Richard Perle, Douglas Feith, Ben-Ami Kadish, David A. Tenenbaum, and Larry Franklin. The Mossad operatives who run spies are never pursued.

Yona Meztger, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, has recently called for Jonathan Pollard’s release. Prime Minister Netanyahu even granted Pollard Israeli citizenship while Pollard served his jail sentence in the United States. In spring 2011, two-thirds of Israeli parliamentarians even had the gall to petition the U.S. Embassy for Pollard’s release from U.S. prison. In spring 2012, both the Israeli Prime Minister and President appealed directly to the U.S. President for Pollard’s release.

In a rare display of backbone, Defense Secretary Panetta actually defended the United States’ decision to keep Pollard incarcerated for the duration of his term. “There is a great deal of opposition to the release of Pollard that goes back to the fact that obviously he was convicted as a spy,” Panetta mustered. “And I think for that reason the President and others have indicated that the position of the United States is not to release him.”

Mossad operatives have no problem obtaining secrets, given the following figures: roughly 854,000 U.S. citizens possess top-secret security clearances; an estimated 2,000 distinct companies perform classified work for the U.S. government; and numerous U.S. citizens within the Intelligence Community look upon Israel through religious lenses, which is a helpful lever often pulled by Mossad.

Even Fox News, which is typically taciturn on all issues that put Israel under the microscope, couldn’t ignore Israel’s espionage against the United States. In November of 2001, Fox News journalist Carl Cameron reported nearly 200 Israeli operatives were rounded up by U.S. counterterrorism officials in years leading up to 11 September 2001. This is by no means an implication of the Israeli government in the 9/11 attacks, but it is a clear sign that Israel strives daily to obtain the industrial, Executive, intelligence and military secrets of the United States.

Modern efforts to spy on the United States are part of a storied Israeli history, which shows little regard for the welfare of its target. In 1954, Israeli operatives (read: terrorists) bombed U.S. diplomatic buildings throughout Egypt in Operation Susannah. This false-flag attack was designed to trick the United States into war with Egypt, serving Israel’s regional interests. In 2005, much to the disgust of the international community, Israeli President Moshe Katsav presented nine of the surviving operatives with certificates of appreciation for their work. Other instances of Zionism’s history of manipulation and terrorism include bombing the King David Hotel in 1946; attacking the USS Liberty in 1967; murdering Rachel Corrie and Furkan Dogan, both of whom were U.S. citizens; and posing as CIA personnel when recruiting Iranian operatives. Such cheek knows no equal on the international stage.

Criticism of Israel is necessary from a U.S. standpoint. Current levels of U.S. generosity towards Israel are foolish, wasteful, and unsustainable, considering other places where taxpayer money could be allocated. Fortunately, all such policies are amendable: the billions of dollars given to Israel each year, the United States’ perpetuation of regional conflict by feeding the IDF weaponry, and protecting Israel from justifiable international criticism through using United Nations Security Council veto power. Criticism of U.S. unconditional support for Israel can only commence in earnest through access to these facts. In this respect, the United States needs to join the world community. All other nations, unaffected by AIPAC’s ferocity, although rife with their own Zionist lobbies, have greater abilities to see clearly.

Christian Sorensen for Media Roots.

The next installments in this series will further examine the protection of Israeli colonialism by United States federal, state, and local governments.

***

Photo by Flickr user Secretary of Defense.

MEDIA ROOTS –  When Saddam Hussein used white phosphorous against his own people in March 1988, the United States labeled it a chemical weapon and considered it to be a weapon of mass destruction. This helped justify the American-lead invasion of Iraq in 2003. However, when coalition forces used the weapon in Fallujah the following year, it was classified as a permissible incendiary device. Like napalm, white phosphorous has well-known and predictable collateral effects such as fallout linked to birth defects. And according to international law, the thermal weapon is prohibited from use on civilians or in civilian areas. American defiance of this statute in 2004 not only warrants a war crimes investigation of the former Commander-in-Chief, the prolonged high-rate of birth defects in Fallujah makes plausible an investigation for crimes against humanity.

Since the invasion, birth defects in Fallujah have jumped dramatically from once every few months to several daily, according to many whom work at Fallujah General Hospital. The United States officially denies contributing to this increase and pundits continue to marginalize the effects of incendiary devices. But no matter how the story is spun, Fallujah now has a legacy of defects that is five-times the international norm, according to the news agency Al Jazeera in an investigative piece aired last week.

White phosphorous (WP) has been in the American arsenal since World War I. The use of “Willie Pete,” as it was referred to by American soldiers in Vietnam, was initially denied to have been used in Fallujah. However, the following year, United States General Peter Pace confirmed and defended its use for its ability to illuminate the battlefield and hide troop movements. The federal government today sells WP to allies such as Israel where it has been used numerous times against combatants in civilian areas.

Outcry for this injustice continues. The web page Birth defects in FGH was created in 2009 by a doctor at Fallujah General Hospital to help publicize the continued torture of the city’s newborns. Additionally the nonprofit The Justice for Fallujah Project has an advisory board that includes Doctors Noam Chomsky and Dahlia Wasfi and continues to fight for increased public awareness of this endemic.

Oskar Mosco

***

Al Jazeera English highlighted the increased birth defects occurring now in Fallujah

in half-hour segment that aired last week.

Fallujah – The Hidden Massacre

***

Photo provided by Flickr user Dapper Snapper.  

MEDIA ROOTS – According to neoconservative Robert Kagan, the USA has been involved in military conflict abroad 70 percent of the time since the end of the Cold War.  Many times, these foreign wars need to be “sold” to the U.S. public in order to galvanize the populace against a common enemy (e.g. Noriega ’89, Saddam ’91, Bin Laden ’01, and Saddam ’03).  This “selling” of war comes in the form of deliberate deception and manipulation by Executive authorities and Pentagon officials.  The Pentagon’s vast resources, propaganda apparatuses, media links, and international ties are crucial in fomenting public support for military aggression.

If we, as a society, want to progress beyond such militancy and avoid future wars of aggression, it is crucial to recognize manipulation of public opinion when it occurs.  The 28 minute CBC documentary To Sell A War details precisely the elaborate lengths to which the Pentagon and Executive Branch will go in order to rally the public for war.  As you will see, nothing is off limits.  

Christian Sorensen for Media Roots

***

Documentary: To Sell a War

***

Photo by Flickr user US Army

MEDIA ROOTS – One in five women in the U.S. Armed Forces is sexually assaulted, but most do not report these despicable acts.  Two weeks ago, U.S. Air Force General Edward Rice held a press conference regarding allegations of sexual assault at Lackland Air Force Base, where all Air Force enlisted trainees undergo Basic Military Training (BMT).  After listening to General Rice adroitly muffle concern and dodge responsibility, it is important to clarify precisely how he fails to understanding the trainee mindset, refuses to investigate sexual assault comprehensively, and likely will not hold himself accountable.

General Rice, Commander of Air Education and Training Command (AETC), fails to understand the mindset of enlisted trainees.  When in BMT, one’s overarching priority is to complete training on schedule and with all due haste.  Most often, this requires maintaining a low profile, “blending in,” or avoiding the training instructors’ ire.  Trainees fear any circumstance leading to being “recycled” or “washed back,” which could add weeks to a trainee’s BMT experience.  This fear is one reason why trainees do not speak up.  As disturbing as it sounds, trainees weigh the costs and benefits: speaking up, seeking administrative attention, enduring even more time in BMT, and starting an Air Force career with clerical paperwork vs. bottling up, suppressing sexual incident(s), and perhaps seeking redress later on.  Addressing this reality may involve affording victims all psychological and physical help while simultaneously allowing them to progress in training at their own pace and comfort.

General Rice also needs to focus on another distressing aspect of the trainee mindset, the nuances of which a former Marine drill instructor explains:

“You cannot do anything without requesting permission from your drill instructor…  You are literally in many cases a robot waiting for permission to take a step.  And if you have that relationship which is based on fear and intimidation… if that’s the person you’re asking help from, it becomes a very bizarre scenario…  You are subject to every single order that comes out of that instructor’s mouth.”

While Marine and Air Force basic training environments differ in many respects, the underlying point is clear:  it is incredibly difficult to seek help as a trainee after a sexual assault, due in part to the very nature of the trainee-instructor relationship.  This relationship is vital for training purposes, but impedes justice and administrative recourse in certain circumstances.  General Rice believes an existing system of “comment sheets” and anonymous “comment boxes” provides each Air Force trainee with the outlet they need.  Unfortunately, fear of an extended duration in BMT often stifles trainee recourse to comment sheets.  Rice must examine how to alleviate such a destructive mentality without compromising the caliber of existing Air Force training.

Additionally, General Rice and his fellow senior officers fail to investigate sexual assault across AETC.  Observe Rice’s equivocation:

“I indicated we had 12 instructors that are under investigation…  Nine of those 12 were in one [squadron].  We have a total of nine squadrons, and nine of them came from one squadron.  So in my assessment to this point, it is not an issue of an endemic problem throughout basic military training.  It is more localized, and we are doing a very intensive investigation on that squadron to find out what exactly happened and why.”

General Rice, whose academic credentials boast multiple graduate degrees, could surely fathom a reality in which numerous victims of sexual assault exist across AETC and the operational Air Force.  For Rice, it’s far easier to blame a localized problem at the squadron level than engage in institutional introspection or examine the culture over which he reigns.

If recent history is any indication, General Rice and senior Air Force officers will not be held accountable.  After the Abu Ghraib torture scandal, a dozen lower-enlisted service members were punished but only one general was reprimanded.  After repeated Afghan civilian deaths under General Petraeus’ command, no U.S. general was disciplined.  These are dismal precedents.

In 2008, Defense Secretary Robert Gates fired the two most senior Air Force leaders for mismanagement of nuclear weapons.  Although their indiscretions led to no casualties, Gates recognized the imperative of holding senior Air Force officials accountable.  The standing lesson is clear: senior officials who endanger lives with nuclear weapons get fired, while those who oversee a ruinous culture of endemic sexual abuse survive without a scratch.  To right this wrong, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta must ask for General Rice’s resignation along with all relevant officers in the AETC chain of command.  All forms of punishment are available when reprimanding the abusers, their immediate superiors, and their entire chain of command, including reduction in rank, forfeiture of pay, confinement, and imprisonment.

General Rice has failed in his duty by misunderstanding the trainee mindset, avoiding a comprehensive investigation of sexual misconduct, and evading punishment.  Although administrative accountability doesn’t ease the pain of victimhood, it sends a firm message to every soldier, sailor, airman, and Marine: sexual assault will not be tolerated in the U.S. military, and every link in the chain of command is responsible for enforcing this.  The tragedy of sexual assault is deafening; a catastrophe which numerous military members endure through no fault of their own.  This is a defining time for Pentagon leadership to prove its mettle.

Written by Christian Sorensen for Media Roots. Christian went through BMT at Lackland’s 331 Training Squadron.

***

Photograph provided by Flickr user JSMoorman.